Resumo:
The Brazilian Defense Industrial Base (BID) plays a strategic role in ensuring national sovereignty, especially considering the growing global geopolitical instability. However, the sector faces structural challenges in developing complex products, such as light weapons, which require compliance with strict regulatory frameworks. This study aims to propose the systematization of best practices for managing the development process of small arms prototypes by adapting and integrating traditional and hybrid product development approaches to the BID context, considering the main Brazilian regulations applicable to the approval process for these prototypes. Through action research, a system was developed and verified with a set of best practices for the specificities of the sector, integrating elements of the Unified Product Development Process (PDP) Model and the Agile–Stage-Gate hybrid model. The study included an assessment of the national regulatory framework, the integration of management and engineering tools, and the application of best practices in Integrated Product Development (IPD). The proposal systematizes a set of best practices for PDP management, improves traceability, strengthens regulatory compliance, and contributes to increasing the competitiveness of BID factories by promoting greater agility in prototype development. The verification of the system was carried out through compliance observed in internal and external audits of the ABNT ISO 9001:2015 Standard (Clause 8.3), the positive perception of the development team, compliance with the authorizations required by regulatory frameworks, and compliance obtained in internal technical evaluations for prototype approval, attesting to its practical feasibility. The results indicate that the proposed system of best practices can be adopted as a benchmark for standardization, training, and continuous improvement in the Brazilian defense industry.
